1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to marine pier systems which are resistant to damage caused by wave, wind or tidal action during violent storm events, and in particular to pier systems which may be partially disassembled during violent storm events to prevent damage thereto and may be reassembled after the storm event.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the most common problems with piers used for marine pleasure craft and marine recreation is damage related to violent storms. A number of different storm-related damage problems can occur, including crushing and buckling of piers due to wind and wave action, that is, as high waves and wind continue to act against the pier the pier can be forced to move horizontally and vertically. As wave heights increase, the wave action can exert an upward force on the pier and result in the decking sections being separated from the support piles and/or deck planks separated from the decking. Such wave force can even exert enough upward force to cause the piles to be pulled free of the bottom. Floating debris can cause damage and destruction of property when wave and wind action drive floating debris into the pier. Also, as damage and destruction to the pier occurs, various pieces of the pier such as lumber, piles, decking section, etc. become separated from the pier. The pieces of debris then become hazards to humans and property as wind and waves continue to propel this debris throughout the vicinity.
A number of remedies are known in the art to avoid or at least minimize such storm-related damage. These include at least (1) heavy reinforcement of a pier to the extent that a storm is not capable of damaging the pier; (2) partial or complete removal of the pier from the water in advance of a storm; and (3) the installation of protection systems. The first option is inordinately expensive, and often aesthetically unacceptable. It is also sometimes environmentally unacceptable for large, bulky objects to be constructed in environmentally sensitive areas. The partial or complete removal of a pier from the water is also not completely acceptable in many instances. First, the removal of a pier and subsequent reinstallation of a pier into a body of water can be expensive and/or time consuming and could be a recurring unacceptable disturbance to environmentally sensitive areas. A third alternative for protecting piers from storm related damage is to install protective systems such as bumpers. However, in many instances these protective measures are inadequate to prevent storm-related damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,322 issued Dec. 16, 2003 to Listle discloses a pier system constructed of steel reinforced concrete piles with additional concrete footers and also includes embedding railing and deck support structures into the concrete piles. The pier system of Listle is fairly complex and does not easily lend itself to construction by those skilled in the art. In addition, the construction methods required to construct such a structure in a marine environment would require specialized construction skill and methods and would necessarily increase the cost far beyond what would normally be expected.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,880 issued Oct. 10, 2000 to Meenan, Jr. discloses a removable modular decking system that incorporates deck sections comprising decking planks that, by means of removable clamps, can be removed from the support structures of the pier. The decking planks are attached to rails that are located on the under side of the decking planks. When the clamps are disengaged the decking planks can then be rolled up and transported away from the pier. A major drawback, however, of the modular decking system of Meenan, Jr. is that the decking planks are inter-connected on the underside of the decking by means of the rail. This being the case, the decking sections would need to be removed from the pier and then turned up side down in order to facilitate rolling the sections up. A further disadvantage of the modular decking system of Meenan, Jr. is difficulty inherent in rolling up the modular decking sections if handrails are present on the dock. The presence of such handrails, if not constructed an adequate distance away from the decking sections, would prevent the decking sections from being rolled up. The construction of such a handrail would require detailed and difficult construction methods not normally employed in the construction of marine piers. In addition, another disadvantage of the modular decking system of Meenan, Jr. is that the rolling up, handling and transporting of decking sections would necessarily be difficult to accomplish and might easily require more effort and experience than most pier owners and users are capable of. In addition, the storage of so many large and bulky decking sections away from the pier may not be possible due to limited space. And, finally, unless the rolled up decking sections are either adequately anchored or otherwise protected, the storm surge typically associated with violent storm events near water may cause unwanted movement of the rolled up decking sections thereby causing unnecessary hazard to human health and wellbeing as well as potential damage to property.
In light of the foregoing problems, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a pier system which is substantially immune to storm related damage and can be used year after year without the need to re-build the pier after each significant storm event.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an economical pier system which is substantially immune to storm damage by allowing a plurality of decking sections to be automatically deployed, or disengaged, from the pile supports during storm events, and can be easily and quickly reassembled when the storm is gone.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system that is easy to manufacture, install, operate and reassemble.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system which employs tethers between decking sections and pile bents to prevent decking sections from being transported away from the pier during storm events.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system that employs damage control systems to prevent damage to pile bents and decking sections while the decking sections are in the water.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system which is made up of many substantially identical or modular parts, for economy of manufacture, and which can be constructed of different dimensions and materials for various locations and application of uses.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system that will minimize damage to property by preventing or minimizing debris associated with destructive storm forces.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system that will minimize hazard to human life during storm events by preventing or minimizing debris associated with destructive storm forces.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a pier system that will minimize insurance rates for insuring such pier systems by preventing or minimizing the need to re-construct piers after storm events.